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以西结书 23
Chinese New Version (Simplified)

两个淫乱姊妹的比喻

23 耶和华的话又临到我说： 2 “人子啊！有两个女人，都是同一个母亲生的。 3 她们在埃及行邪淫，在幼年的时候行了邪淫，在那里她们的胸被人抚摩；在那里她们处女的乳房被人抚弄。 4 姊姊的名字是阿荷拉，妹妹的名字是阿荷利巴；她们都嫁了给我，并且生了儿女。论到她们的名字，阿荷拉就是撒玛利亚，阿荷利巴就是耶路撒冷。

5 “阿荷拉嫁了我以后仍行邪淫，恋慕她的爱人，就是亚述的战士。 6 他们穿著紫色衣服，是作总督和省长的；他们都是英俊的年轻人，是骑着马的骑兵。 7 阿荷拉与这些亚述人中最美的男子行邪淫；她因自己所恋慕的每一个人和这些人的偶像玷污了自己。 8 她没有离弃在埃及时的淫乱；那时她年幼，人与她同睡，抚弄她处女的乳房，把他们的情欲发泄在她身上。 9 因此我把她交在她的爱人手里，就是她所恋慕的亚述人手里。 10 这些人露出她的下体，掳去她的儿女，用刀杀了她，使她在妇女中有了臭名，因为他们向她施行惩罚。

11 “她妹妹阿荷利巴虽然看见了，却在自己情欲的事情上比姊姊更腐败，她的淫乱比姊姊的淫乱更甚。 12 她贪恋亚述人，就是作总督和省长，穿著华美衣服的战士，骑着马的骑兵，全都是英俊的年轻人。 13 我看见她被玷污了；她们姊妹两人所行的路都是一样。 14 阿荷利巴又继续行淫；她看见画在墙上的人像，就是用鲜红的颜料所画的迦勒底人像， 15 这些像的腰间束着腰带，头上有下垂的裹头巾，他们看来像官长，有巴比伦人的样子，迦勒底是他们出生之地。 16 阿荷利巴的眼一看见，就恋慕他们，派遣使者到迦勒底去见他们。 17 于是巴比伦人来，上了她爱情的床，与她行淫玷污了她；她被他们玷污以后，心就与他们疏远。 18 她既然显露了她的淫行，露出了自己的下体，我的心就与她疏远，好象我的心从前与她姊姊疏远一样。 19 她还加倍行淫，怀念她幼年在埃及地行淫的日子。 20 她恋慕她的情人，他们的下体像驴的下体；他们射精像马一样。 21 这样，你就渴想你幼年时的淫荡；那时，埃及人抚弄过你的乳房，抚摩你年幼时的胸。

22 “因此，阿荷利巴啊！主耶和华这样说：‘看哪！我必激动你的爱人攻击你，就是你心所疏远的人；我必带他们来从四面攻击你。 23 他们就是巴比伦人、迦勒底人、比割人、书亚人、哥亚人，与他们一起的还有亚述人，他们都是英俊的年轻人，是作总督和省长的，作长官和战士的，全部都是骑马的。 24 他们必带着兵器、马车、战车和大队人来攻击你；他们要拿着大小盾牌，戴着头盔，从四面摆阵攻击你；我要把审判的事交给他们，他们必按着自己的惯例来审判你。 25 我必向你发泄我的妒忿，他们必以烈怒待你；割去你的鼻子和耳朵；你余下的人必倒在刀下；他们要掳去你的儿女；你余下的人必被火吞吃。 26 他们必剥去你的衣服，夺去你华丽的饰物。 27 这样，我必使你的淫荡和你从埃及地沾染的淫乱离开你，你的眼必不仰望他们，你也必不再怀念埃及。 28 因为主耶和华这样说：看哪！我必把你交在你所恨的人手里，就是交在你的心所疏远的人手里。 29 他们必以憎恨待你，夺去你一切劳碌得来的，留下你赤身露体；你行淫的下体、你的淫荡和淫乱，都必显露出来。 30 这些事要行在你身上，因为你随从列国行淫，被他们的偶像玷污了自己。 31 你走了你姊姊所走的路，所以我必把她的杯交在你手里。 32 主耶和华这样说：

你必喝你姊姊所喝的杯，

那杯又深又阔，

容量甚大，

必使你成为嗤笑和讥讽的对象。

33 你必酩酊大醉，充满愁苦，

那是惊慌和荒凉的杯，

就是你姊姊撒玛利亚的杯。

34 你要喝这杯，并且喝尽；

然后把这杯摔成碎块，

又抓伤自己的胸。

因为这是我曾说过的。’这是主耶和华的宣告。 35 因此，主耶和华这样说：‘因为你忘记了我，把我丢在背后，所以你要担当你淫荡和淫乱的后果。’”

严责两个妇人的邪淫

36 耶和华又对我说：“人子啊，你要审判阿荷拉和阿荷利巴吗？你要把她们可憎的事向她们说明， 37 因为她们行了奸淫，手中染血，与自己的偶像行奸淫，他们甚至使自己给我所生的儿女经火，献给偶像作食物。 38 此外，同一天，她们还向我作了这事，就是玷污我的圣所，又亵渎我的安息日。 39 她们宰杀了自己的儿女献给偶像，同一天又进了我的圣所，把圣所亵渎。这就是她们在我殿中所行的。 40 况且你们打发使者去请人从远方来；使者到了他们那里，他们就来了。为了他们，你们洗澡、替眼部化妆、佩戴珠宝， 41 你们坐在华丽的床上，床前放置了一张桌子，把我的香料和膏油放在上面。 42 在那里有安逸无忧的群众发出喧哗的声音，有粗俗的人和酒徒从旷野而来，他们把手环戴在两个妇人的手上，把美丽的冠冕戴在她们头上。

　神必重罚两个妇人

43 “我论到这个因行淫而衰颓的妇人说：现在让人与她行淫吧，因为她本来就是妓女。 44 他们与她同睡；人怎样与妓女同睡，也怎样与阿荷拉和阿荷利巴那两个淫荡的妇人同睡。 45 然而必有义人判她们受淫妇和流人血的妇人所受的刑罚，因为她们是淫妇，她们手中染血。

46 “因为主耶和华这样说：我必使一大群人上来攻击她们，使她们惊慌，被人抢掠。 47 这些人必用石头打她们，用刀剑砍她们，又杀戮她们的儿女，放火烧毁她们的房屋。 48 这样，我必使淫荡从这地止息，好叫所有的妇人都受到警戒，不敢照着你们的淫荡而行。 49 人要把你们行淫的报应归在你们身上；你们要担当你们拜偶像的罪；你们就知道我是主耶和华。”

Listen to Ezekiel 23
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Ezekiel 23
New International Version

Two Adulterous Sisters

23 The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, there were two women, daughters of the same mother.(A) 3 They became prostitutes in Egypt,(B) engaging in prostitution(C) from their youth.(D) In that land their breasts were fondled and their virgin bosoms caressed.(E) 4 The older was named Oholah, and her sister was Oholibah. They were mine and gave birth to sons and daughters. Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.(F)

5 “Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was still mine; and she lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians(G)—warriors(H) 6 clothed in blue, governors and commanders, all of them handsome young men, and mounted horsemen. 7 She gave herself as a prostitute to all the elite of the Assyrians and defiled herself with all the idols of everyone she lusted after.(I) 8 She did not give up the prostitution she began in Egypt,(J) when during her youth men slept with her, caressed her virgin bosom and poured out their lust on her.(K)

9 “Therefore I delivered her into the hands(L) of her lovers,(M) the Assyrians, for whom she lusted.(N) 10 They stripped(O) her naked, took away her sons and daughters and killed her with the sword. She became a byword among women,(P) and punishment was inflicted(Q) on her.(R)

11 “Her sister Oholibah saw this,(S) yet in her lust and prostitution she was more depraved than her sister.(T) 12 She too lusted after the Assyrians—governors and commanders, warriors in full dress, mounted horsemen, all handsome young men.(U) 13 I saw that she too defiled herself; both of them went the same way.(V)

14 “But she carried her prostitution still further. She saw men portrayed on a wall,(W) figures of Chaldeans[a] portrayed in red,(X) 15 with belts(Y) around their waists and flowing turbans on their heads; all of them looked like Babylonian chariot officers, natives of Chaldea.[b] 16 As soon as she saw them, she lusted after them and sent messengers(Z) to them in Chaldea.(AA) 17 Then the Babylonians(AB) came to her, to the bed of love, and in their lust they defiled her. After she had been defiled by them, she turned away from them in disgust.(AC) 18 When she carried on her prostitution openly and exposed her naked body,(AD) I turned away(AE) from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister.(AF) 19 Yet she became more and more promiscuous as she recalled the days of her youth, when she was a prostitute in Egypt. 20 There she lusted after her lovers, whose genitals were like those of donkeys and whose emission was like that of horses. 21 So you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when in Egypt your bosom was caressed and your young breasts fondled.[c](AG)

22 “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will stir up your lovers(AH) against you, those you turned away from in disgust, and I will bring them against you from every side(AI)— 23 the Babylonians(AJ) and all the Chaldeans,(AK) the men of Pekod(AL) and Shoa and Koa, and all the Assyrians with them, handsome young men, all of them governors and commanders, chariot officers and men of high rank, all mounted on horses.(AM) 24 They will come against you with weapons,[d] chariots and wagons(AN) and with a throng of people; they will take up positions against you on every side with large and small shields and with helmets. I will turn you over to them for punishment,(AO) and they will punish you according to their standards. 25 I will direct my jealous anger(AP) against you, and they will deal with you in fury. They will cut off your noses and your ears, and those of you who are left will fall by the sword. They will take away your sons and daughters,(AQ) and those of you who are left will be consumed by fire.(AR) 26 They will also strip(AS) you of your clothes and take your fine jewelry.(AT) 27 So I will put a stop(AU) to the lewdness and prostitution you began in Egypt. You will not look on these things with longing or remember Egypt anymore.

28 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: I am about to deliver you into the hands(AV) of those you hate, to those you turned away from in disgust. 29 They will deal with you in hatred and take away everything you have worked for. They will leave you stark naked,(AW) and the shame of your prostitution will be exposed.(AX) Your lewdness(AY) and promiscuity(AZ) 30 have brought this on you, because you lusted after the nations and defiled yourself with their idols.(BA) 31 You have gone the way of your sister; so I will put her cup(BB) into your hand.(BC)

32 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“You will drink your sister’s cup,
    a cup large and deep;
it will bring scorn and derision,(BD)
    for it holds so much.(BE)
33 You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,
    the cup of ruin and desolation,
    the cup of your sister Samaria.(BF)
34 You will drink it(BG) and drain it dry
    and chew on its pieces—
    and you will tear your breasts.

I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.(BH)

35 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Since you have forgotten(BI) me and turned your back on me,(BJ) you must bear(BK) the consequences of your lewdness and prostitution.”

36 The Lord said to me: “Son of man, will you judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then confront(BL) them with their detestable practices,(BM) 37 for they have committed adultery and blood is on their hands. They committed adultery with their idols; they even sacrificed their children, whom they bore to me, as food for them.(BN) 38 They have also done this to me: At that same time they defiled my sanctuary(BO) and desecrated my Sabbaths.(BP) 39 On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated(BQ) it. That is what they did in my house.(BR)

40 “They even sent messengers for men who came from far away,(BS) and when they arrived you bathed yourself for them, applied eye makeup(BT) and put on your jewelry.(BU) 41 You sat on an elegant couch,(BV) with a table(BW) spread before it on which you had placed the incense(BX) and olive oil that belonged to me.(BY)

42 “The noise of a carefree(BZ) crowd was around her; drunkards(CA) were brought from the desert along with men from the rabble, and they put bracelets(CB) on the wrists of the woman and her sister and beautiful crowns on their heads.(CC) 43 Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, ‘Now let them use her as a prostitute,(CD) for that is all she is.’ 44 And they slept with her. As men sleep with a prostitute, so they slept with those lewd women, Oholah and Oholibah. 45 But righteous judges will sentence them to the punishment of women who commit adultery and shed blood,(CE) because they are adulterous and blood is on their hands.(CF)

46 “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Bring a mob(CG) against them and give them over to terror and plunder.(CH) 47 The mob will stone them and cut them down with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters(CI) and burn(CJ) down their houses.(CK)

48 “So I will put an end(CL) to lewdness in the land, that all women may take warning and not imitate you.(CM) 49 You will suffer the penalty for your lewdness and bear the consequences of your sins of idolatry.(CN) Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.(CO)”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 23:14 Or Babylonians
  2. Ezekiel 23:15 Or Babylonia; also in verse 16
  3. Ezekiel 23:21 Syriac (see also verse 3); Hebrew caressed because of your young breasts
  4. Ezekiel 23:24 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
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Ezekiel 23
New King James Version

Two Harlot Sisters

23 The word of the Lord came again to me, saying:

2 “Son of man, there were (A)two women,
The daughters of one mother.
3 (B)They committed harlotry in Egypt,
They committed harlotry in (C)their youth;
Their breasts were there embraced,
Their virgin bosom was there pressed.
4 Their names: [a]Oholah the elder and [b]Oholibah (D)her sister;
(E)They were Mine,
And they bore sons and daughters.
As for their names,
Samaria is Oholah, and Jerusalem is Oholibah.

The Older Sister, Samaria

5 “Oholah played the harlot even though she was Mine;
And she lusted for her lovers, the neighboring (F)Assyrians,
6 Who were clothed in purple,
Captains and rulers,
All of them desirable young men,
Horsemen riding on horses.
7 Thus she committed her harlotry with them,
All of them choice men of Assyria;
And with all for whom she lusted,
With all their idols, she defiled herself.
8 She has never given up her harlotry brought (G)from Egypt,
For in her youth they had lain with her,
Pressed her virgin bosom,
And poured out their immorality upon her.

9 “Therefore I have delivered her
Into the hand of her lovers,
Into the hand of the (H)Assyrians,
For whom she lusted.
10 They uncovered her nakedness,
Took away her sons and daughters,
And slew her with the sword;
She became a byword among women,
For they had executed judgment on her.

The Younger Sister, Jerusalem

11 “Now (I)although her sister Oholibah saw this, (J)she became more corrupt in her lust than she, and in her harlotry more corrupt than her sister’s harlotry.

12 “She lusted for the neighboring (K)Assyrians,
(L)Captains and rulers,
Clothed most gorgeously,
Horsemen riding on horses,
All of them desirable young men.
13 Then I saw that she was defiled;
Both took the same way.
14 But she increased her harlotry;
She looked at men portrayed on the wall,
Images of (M)Chaldeans portrayed in vermilion,
15 Girded with belts around their waists,
Flowing turbans on their heads,
All of them looking like captains,
In the manner of the Babylonians of Chaldea,
The land of their nativity.
16 (N)As soon as her eyes saw them,
She lusted for them
And sent (O)messengers to them in Chaldea.

17 “Then the [c]Babylonians came to her, into the bed of love,
And they defiled her with their immorality;
So she was defiled by them, (P)and alienated herself from them.
18 She revealed her harlotry and uncovered her nakedness.
Then (Q)I (R)alienated Myself from her,
As I had alienated Myself from her sister.

19 “Yet she multiplied her harlotry
In calling to remembrance the days of her youth,
(S)When she had played the harlot in the land of Egypt.
20 For she lusted for her [d]paramours,
Whose flesh is like the flesh of donkeys,
And whose issue is like the issue of horses.
21 Thus you called to remembrance the lewdness of your youth,
When the (T)Egyptians pressed your bosom
Because of your youthful breasts.

Judgment on Jerusalem

22 “Therefore, Oholibah, thus says the Lord God:

(U)‘Behold, I will stir up your lovers against you,
From whom you have alienated yourself,
And I will bring them against you from every side:
23 The Babylonians,
All the Chaldeans,
(V)Pekod, Shoa, Koa,
(W)All the Assyrians with them,
All of them desirable young men,
Governors and rulers,
Captains and men of renown,
All of them riding on horses.
24 And they shall come against you
With chariots, wagons, and war-horses,
With a horde of people.
They shall array against you
Buckler, shield, and helmet all around.

‘I will delegate judgment to them,
And they shall judge you according to their judgments.
25 I will set My (X)jealousy against you,
And they shall deal furiously with you;
They shall remove your nose and your ears,
And your remnant shall fall by the sword;
They shall take your sons and your daughters,
And your remnant shall be devoured by fire.
26 (Y)They shall also strip you of your clothes
And take away your beautiful jewelry.

27 ‘Thus (Z)I will make you cease your lewdness and your (AA)harlotry
Brought from the land of Egypt,
So that you will not lift your eyes to them,
Nor remember Egypt anymore.’

28 “For thus says the Lord God: ‘Surely I will deliver you into the hand of (AB)those you hate, into the hand of those (AC)from whom you alienated yourself. 29 (AD)They will deal hatefully with you, take away all you have worked for, and (AE)leave you naked and bare. The nakedness of your harlotry shall be uncovered, both your lewdness and your harlotry. 30 I will do these things to you because you have (AF)gone as a harlot after the Gentiles, because you have become defiled by their idols. 31 You have walked in the way of your sister; therefore I will put her (AG)cup in your hand.’

32 “Thus says the Lord God:

‘You shall drink of your sister’s cup,
The deep and wide one;
(AH)You shall be laughed to scorn
And held in derision;
It contains much.
33 You will be filled with drunkenness and sorrow,
The cup of horror and desolation,
The cup of your sister Samaria.
34 You shall (AI)drink and drain it,
You shall break its [e]shards,
And tear at your own breasts;
For I have spoken,’
Says the Lord God.

35 “Therefore thus says the Lord God:

‘Because you (AJ)have forgotten Me and (AK)cast Me behind your back,
Therefore you shall bear the penalty
Of your lewdness and your harlotry.’ ”

Both Sisters Judged

36 The Lord also said to me: “Son of man, will you (AL)judge Oholah and Oholibah? Then (AM)declare to them their abominations. 37 For they have committed adultery, and (AN)blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons (AO)whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them. 38 Moreover they have done this to Me: They have (AP)defiled My sanctuary on the same day and (AQ)profaned My Sabbaths. 39 For after they had slain their children for their idols, on the same day they came into My sanctuary to profane it; and indeed (AR)thus they have done in the midst of My house.

40 “Furthermore you sent for men to come from afar, (AS)to whom a messenger was sent; and there they came. And you (AT)washed yourself for them, (AU)painted your eyes, and adorned yourself with ornaments. 41 You sat on a stately (AV)couch, with a table prepared before it, (AW)on which you had set My incense and My oil. 42 The sound of a carefree multitude was with her, and [f]Sabeans were brought from the wilderness with men of the common sort, who put bracelets on their [g]wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43 Then I said concerning her who had grown old in adulteries, ‘Will they commit harlotry with her now, and she with them?’ 44 Yet they went in to her, as men go in to a woman who plays the harlot; thus they went in to Oholah and Oholibah, the lewd women. 45 But righteous men will (AX)judge them after the manner of adulteresses, and after the manner of women who shed blood, because they are adulteresses, and (AY)blood is on their hands.

46 “For thus says the Lord God: (AZ)‘Bring up an assembly against them, give them up to trouble and plunder. 47 (BA)The assembly shall stone them with stones and [h]execute them with their swords; (BB)they shall slay their sons and their daughters, and burn their houses with fire. 48 Thus (BC)I will cause lewdness to cease from the land, (BD)that all women may be taught not to practice your lewdness. 49 They shall repay you for your lewdness, and you shall (BE)pay for your idolatrous sins. (BF)Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.’ ”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 23:4 Lit. Her Own Tabernacle
  2. Ezekiel 23:4 Lit. My Tabernacle Is in Her
  3. Ezekiel 23:17 Lit. sons of Babel
  4. Ezekiel 23:20 Illicit lovers
  5. Ezekiel 23:34 Earthenware fragments
  6. Ezekiel 23:42 Or drunkards
  7. Ezekiel 23:42 Lit. hands
  8. Ezekiel 23:47 Lit. cut down
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Ezekiel 23
New English Translation

Two Sisters

23 The Lord’s message came to me: 2 “Son of man, there were two women who were daughters of the same mother. 3 They engaged in prostitution in Egypt; in their youth they engaged in prostitution. Their breasts were squeezed there; lovers[a] fondled their virgin nipples there. 4 Oholah was the name of the older and Oholibah[b] the name of her younger sister. They became mine and gave birth to sons and daughters.[c] Oholah is Samaria, and Oholibah is Jerusalem.

5 “Oholah engaged in prostitution while she was mine.[d] She lusted after her lovers, the Assyrians[e]—warriors[f] 6 clothed in blue, governors and officials, all of them desirable young men, horsemen riding on horses. 7 She bestowed her sexual favors[g] on them; all of them were the choicest young men of Assyria. She defiled herself with all whom she desired[h]—with all their idols. 8 She did not abandon the prostitution she had practiced in Egypt, for in her youth men went to bed[i] with her, fondled her virgin breasts, and ravished her.[j] 9 Therefore I handed her over to her lovers, the Assyrians[k] for whom she lusted. 10 They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and killed her with the sword. She became notorious[l] among women, and they executed judgments against her.

11 “Her sister Oholibah watched this,[m] but she became more corrupt in her lust than her sister had been, and her acts of prostitution were more numerous than those of her sister. 12 She lusted after the Assyrians—governors and officials, warriors in full armor, horsemen riding on horses, all of them desirable young men. 13 I saw that she was defiled; both of them followed the same path. 14 But she increased her prostitution. She saw men carved on the wall, images of the Chaldeans carved in bright red,[n] 15 wearing belts on their waists and flowing turbans on their heads, all of them looking like officers, the image of Babylonians[o] whose native land is Chaldea. 16 When she saw them,[p] she lusted after them and sent messengers to them in Chaldea.[q] 17 The Babylonians crawled into bed with her.[r] They defiled her with their lust; after she was defiled by them, she[s] became disgusted with them. 18 When she lustfully exposed her nakedness,[t] I[u] was disgusted with her, just as I[v] had been disgusted with her sister. 19 Yet she increased her prostitution, remembering the days of her youth when she engaged in prostitution in the land of Egypt. 20 She lusted after her lovers there, whose genitals were like those of donkeys,[w] and whose emission was like that of stallions. 21 This is how you assessed[x] the obscene conduct of your youth, when the Egyptians fondled[y] your nipples and squeezed[z] your young breasts.

22 “Therefore, Oholibah, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look here,[aa] I am about to stir up against you the lovers with whom you were disgusted; I will bring them against you from every side: 23 the Babylonians and all the Chaldeans, Pekod,[ab] Shoa,[ac] and Koa,[ad] and all the Assyrians with them, desirable young men, all of them governors and officials, officers and nobles, all of them riding on horses. 24 They will attack[ae] you with weapons,[af] chariots, wagons, and with a huge army;[ag] they will array themselves against you on every side with large shields, small shields, and helmets. I will assign them the task of judgment;[ah] they will punish you according to their laws. 25 I will direct[ai] my jealous anger against you, and they will deal with you in rage. They will cut off your nose and your ears,[aj] and your survivors will die[ak] by the sword. They will seize your sons and daughters, and your survivors will be consumed by fire. 26 They will strip your clothes off you and take away your beautiful jewelry. 27 So I will put an end to your obscene conduct and your prostitution that you have practiced in the land of Egypt.[al] You will not seek their help[am] or remember Egypt anymore.

28 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Look here,[an] I am about to deliver you over to[ao] those whom you hate, to those with whom you were disgusted. 29 They will treat you with hatred, take away all you have labored for,[ap] and leave you naked and bare. Your nakedness will be exposed, just as when you engaged in prostitution and obscene conduct.[aq] 30 I will do these things to you[ar] because you engaged in prostitution with the nations, polluting yourself with their idols. 31 You have followed the ways of your sister, so I will place her cup of judgment[as] in your hand. 32 This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘You will drink your sister’s deep and wide cup;[at] you will be scorned and derided, for it holds a great deal. 33 You will be overcome by[au] drunkenness and sorrow. The cup of your sister Samaria is a cup of horror and desolation. 34 You will drain it dry,[av] gnaw its pieces,[aw] and tear out your breasts,[ax] for I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.’

35 “Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Because you have forgotten me and completely disregarded me,[ay] you must bear now the punishment for[az] your obscene conduct and prostitution.”

36 The Lord said to me: “Son of man, are you willing to pronounce judgment[ba] on Oholah and Oholibah? Then declare to them their abominable deeds! 37 For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and their sons, whom they bore to me,[bb] they have passed through the fire as food to their idols.[bc] 38 Moreover, they have done this to me: In the very same day[bd] they desecrated my sanctuary and profaned my Sabbaths. 39 On the same day they slaughtered their sons for their idols, they came to my sanctuary to desecrate it. This is what they have done in the middle of my house.

40 “They even sent for men from far away; when the messenger arrived, those men set out.[be] For them you bathed,[bf] painted your eyes, and decorated yourself with jewelry. 41 You sat on a magnificent couch, with a table arranged in front of it where you placed my incense and my olive oil. 42 The sound of a carefree crowd accompanied her,[bg] including all kinds of men;[bh] even Sabeans[bi] were brought from the desert. The sisters[bj] put bracelets on their wrists and beautiful crowns on their heads. 43 Then I said about the one worn out by adultery, ‘Now they will commit immoral acts with her.’ 44 They slept with her[bk] the way someone sleeps with a prostitute. In this way they slept with Oholah and Oholibah, promiscuous women. 45 But upright men will punish them appropriately for their adultery and bloodshed,[bl] because they are adulteresses and blood is on their hands.

46 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: Bring up an army[bm] against them and subject them[bn] to terror and plunder. 47 That army will pelt them with stones and slash them with their swords; they will kill their sons and daughters and burn their houses.[bo] 48 I will put an end to the obscene conduct in the land; all the women will learn a lesson from this and not engage in obscene conduct. 49 They will repay you for your obscene conduct, and you will be punished for idol worship.[bp] Then you will know that I am the Sovereign Lord.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 23:3 tn In the Hebrew text the subject is left unstated and must be supplied from the context.
  2. Ezekiel 23:4 tn The names Oholah and Oholibah are both derived from the word meaning “tent.” The meaning of Oholah is “her tent,” while Oholibah means “my tent is in her.”
  3. Ezekiel 23:4 sn In this allegory the Lord is depicted as being the husband of two wives. The OT law prohibited a man from marrying sisters (Lev 18:18), but the practice is attested in the OT (cf. Jacob). The metaphor is utilized here for illustrative purposes and does not mean that the Lord condoned such a practice or bigamy in general.
  4. Ezekiel 23:5 tn Heb “while she was under me.” The expression indicates that Oholah is viewed as the Lord’s wife. See Num 5:19-20, 29. sn Engaged in prostitution refers to alliances with pagan nations in this context. In Ezek 16 harlotry described the sin of idolatry.
  5. Ezekiel 23:5 tn Heb “Assyria.”
  6. Ezekiel 23:5 tn The term apparently refers to Assyrian military officers; it is better construed with the description that follows. See D. I. Block, Ezekiel (NICOT), 1:738.
  7. Ezekiel 23:7 tn Heb “her harlotries.”
  8. Ezekiel 23:7 tn Heb “lusted after.”
  9. Ezekiel 23:8 tn Heb “lied down with.” The verb שָׁכַב (shakav) “to lie down” can imply going to bed to sleep or be a euphemism for sexual relations.
  10. Ezekiel 23:8 tn Heb “and poured out their harlotry on her.”
  11. Ezekiel 23:9 tn Heb “I gave her into the hand of her lovers, into the hand of the sons of Assyria.”
  12. Ezekiel 23:10 tn Heb “name.”
  13. Ezekiel 23:11 tn The word “this” is not in the original text.
  14. Ezekiel 23:14 tn The only other occurrence of the Hebrew term is in Jer 22:14.
  15. Ezekiel 23:15 tn Heb “the sons of Babel.”
  16. Ezekiel 23:16 tn Heb “at the appearance of her eyes.”
  17. Ezekiel 23:16 sn The Chaldeans were prominent tribal groups of Babylonia. The imagery is reminiscent of events in the reigns of Hezekiah (2 Kgs 20:12-15) and Jehoiakim (2 Kgs 23:34-24:1).
  18. Ezekiel 23:17 tn Heb “The sons of Babel came to her on a bed of love.”
  19. Ezekiel 23:17 tn Heb “her soul.”
  20. Ezekiel 23:18 tn Heb “She exposed her harlotry and exposed her nakedness.”
  21. Ezekiel 23:18 tn Heb “my soul.”
  22. Ezekiel 23:18 tn Heb “my soul.”
  23. Ezekiel 23:20 tn Heb “She lusted after their concubines (?), whose flesh was the flesh of donkeys.” The phrase “their concubines” is difficult here. The pronoun is masculine plural, suggesting that the Egyptian men are in view, but how concubines would fit into the picture envisioned here is not clear. It is possible that the term refers here to the Egyptians’ genitals. The relative pronoun that follows introduces a more specific description of them. Some suggest that Ezekiel uses the term in an idiomatic sense of “paramour,” which is reflected in the translation above.
  24. Ezekiel 23:21 tn Or “you took note of.” The Hebrew verb פָּקַד (paqad) in the Qal implies evaluating something and then acting in light of that judgment; here the prophet depicts Judah as approving of her youthful unfaithfulness and then magnifying it at the present time. Some translations assume the verb should be repointed as a Niphal, rendering “you missed” or by extension “you longed for,” but such an extension of the Niphal “to be missing” is otherwise unattested.
  25. Ezekiel 23:21 tn Heb “when (they) did,” but the verb makes no sense here and is better emended to “when (they) fondled,” a verb used in vv. 3 and 8. See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:43.
  26. Ezekiel 23:21 tn Heb “for the sake of,” but the expression is awkward and is better emended to read “to squeeze.” See L. C. Allen, Ezekiel (WBC), 2:43.
  27. Ezekiel 23:22 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
  28. Ezekiel 23:23 sn Pekod was the name of an Aramean tribe (known as Puqudu in Mesopotamian texts) that lived in the region of the Tigris River.
  29. Ezekiel 23:23 sn Shoa was the name of a nomadic people (the Sutu) that lived in Mesopotamia.
  30. Ezekiel 23:23 sn Koa was the name of another Mesopotamian people group (the Qutu).
  31. Ezekiel 23:24 tn Heb “come against.”
  32. Ezekiel 23:24 tn This is the only occurrence of this term in the OT. The precise meaning is uncertain.
  33. Ezekiel 23:24 tn Heb “an assembly of peoples.”
  34. Ezekiel 23:24 tn Heb “I will place before them judgment.”
  35. Ezekiel 23:25 tn Heb “give.”
  36. Ezekiel 23:25 tn Heb “they will remove.” sn This method of punishment is attested among ancient Egyptian and Hittite civilizations. See W. Zimmerli, Ezekiel (Hermeneia), 1:489.
  37. Ezekiel 23:25 tn Heb “fall.”
  38. Ezekiel 23:27 tn Heb “I will cause your obscene conduct to cease from you and your harlotry from the land of Egypt.”
  39. Ezekiel 23:27 tn Heb “lift your eyes to them.”
  40. Ezekiel 23:28 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
  41. Ezekiel 23:28 tn Heb “I am giving you into the hand of.”
  42. Ezekiel 23:29 tn The Hebrew term means “labor,” but by extension it can also refer to that for which one works.
  43. Ezekiel 23:29 tn Heb “The nakedness of your prostitution will be exposed, and your obscene conduct and your harlotry.”
  44. Ezekiel 23:30 tn The infinitive absolute continues the sequence begun in v. 28: “Look here, I am about to deliver you.” See Joüon 2:430 §123.w.
  45. Ezekiel 23:31 tn Heb “her cup.” A cup of intoxicating strong drink is used, here and elsewhere, as a metaphor for judgment because both leave one confused and reeling. (See Jer 25:15, 17, 28; Hab 2:16.) The cup of wrath is a theme also found in the NT (Mark 14:36).
  46. Ezekiel 23:32 sn The image of a deep and wide cup suggests the degree of punishment; it will be extensive and leave the victim helpless.
  47. Ezekiel 23:33 tn Heb “filled with.”
  48. Ezekiel 23:34 tn Heb “You will drink it and drain (it).”
  49. Ezekiel 23:34 tn D. I. Block compares this to the idiom of “licking the plate” (Ezekiel [NICOT], 1:754, n. 137). The text is difficult as the word translated “gnaw” is rare. The noun is used of the shattered pieces of pottery and so could envision a broken cup. But the Piel verb form is used in only one other place (Num 24:8), where it is a denominative from the noun “bone” and seems to mean to “break (bones).” Why it would be collocated with “sherds” is not clear. For this reason some emend the phrase to read “consume its dregs” (see L. C. Allen, Ezekiel [WBC], 2:44) or emend the verb to read “swallow,” as if the intoxicated Oholibah breaks the cup and then eats the very sherds in an effort to get every last drop of the beverage that dampens them.
  50. Ezekiel 23:34 sn The severe action is more extreme than beating the breasts in anguish (Isa 32:12; Nah 2:7). It is also ironic, for these are the very breasts she so blatantly offered to her lovers (vv. 3, 21).
  51. Ezekiel 23:35 tn Heb “and you cast me behind your back.” The expression pictures her rejection of the Lord (see 1 Kgs 14:9).
  52. Ezekiel 23:35 tn The word “punishment” is not in the Hebrew text but is demanded by the context.
  53. Ezekiel 23:36 tn Heb “will you judge.” Here the imperfect form of the verb is probably used with a desiderative nuance. Addressed to the prophet, “judge” means to warn of or pronounce God’s impending judgment. See 20:4 and 22:2.
  54. Ezekiel 23:37 sn The Lord speaks here in the role of the husband of the sisters.
  55. Ezekiel 23:37 tn Heb “they have passed to them for food.” The verb is commonly taken to refer to passing children through fire, especially as an offering to the pagan god Molech. See Jer 32:35.
  56. Ezekiel 23:38 tn Heb “in that day.”
  57. Ezekiel 23:40 tn Heb “to whom a messenger was sent, and look, they came.” Foreign alliances are in view here.
  58. Ezekiel 23:40 tn The Hebrew verb form is feminine singular, indicating that Oholibah (Judah) is specifically addressed here. This address continues through verse 42a (note “her”), but then both sisters are described in verse 42b, where the feminine pronouns are again plural.
  59. Ezekiel 23:42 tn Heb “(was) in her.”
  60. Ezekiel 23:42 tn Heb “and men from the multitude of mankind.”
  61. Ezekiel 23:42 tn An alternate reading is “drunkards.” Sheba is located in the area of modern day Yemen.
  62. Ezekiel 23:42 tn Heb “they”; the referents (the sisters) have been specified in the translation for the sake of clarity.
  63. Ezekiel 23:44 tn Heb “approached.” The verb בּוֹא (boʾ) with the preposition אֶל (ʾel) means “come to” or “approach” but is also used as a euphemism for sexual relations.
  64. Ezekiel 23:45 tn Heb “and upright men will judge them (with) the judgment of adulteresses and the judgment of those who shed blood.”
  65. Ezekiel 23:46 tn Heb “assembly.”
  66. Ezekiel 23:46 tn Heb “give them to.”
  67. Ezekiel 23:47 tn The Hebrew text adds: “with fire.”
  68. Ezekiel 23:49 tn Heb “and the sins of your idols you will bear.” By extension it can mean the punishment for the sins.
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